Landing on a 1-Up
by Boid Man
Summary: After Mario and Peach take questionable action against Bowser, Luigi begins to act against the Mushroom Kingdom. Bowser doesn't care about Peach's life anymore. He just wants his enemies dead. But how will Mario get along when Luigi gets caught in the middle of his problem?
1. Chapter 1

**Landing on a 1-Up**

**Chapter 1 - Cover Up**

Another conclusion to another long trek. Mario and Luigi had saved Peach again, but Luigi knew fully well how the day would end. Mario would get all of the credit and be invited to Peach's Castle. He would just be left in the dust. This time, he had messed up so matters were awkward between him and his brother, along with the princess. Luigi didn't even bother to walk in the parade. As soon as Mario and Peach weren't looking, he split from them and walked away. Other people could have seen this as a bad thing, but Luigi felt that it couldn't be more right. He shouldn't have gone and tried to stop his brother from destroying the key to the cell that he and Peach had locked Bowser in. They wanted him to rot. They even said that Luigi tried to stop them in a press conference, which he no longer regrets being absent from. Regardless, Bowser couldn't get any help, with his army scattered across the kingdom due to Mario and Peach's actions. By the time any of his army got back, Bowser would be dead. That was why Luigi was going to save Bowser, but not without going to visit somebody he cared very deeply about one last time.

It was late at night and the Mushroom Kingdom was celebrating what seemed to be the permanent defeat of Bowser. Daisy had since moved out of Sarasaland, due to there being too many threats for her to be able to deal with. Mario couldn't help either, since they always planned to get her when Peach was kidnapped. There was a time that they caught Daisy in her sleep after a party at the castle and Mario was free by the time the Mushroom Kingdom had heard about it, but strangely, he didn't come. When Daisy proved to be helpless on her own against the gang and the Mushroom Kingdom didn't seem like they would help, a certain man in green instead of red came to her aid. Luigi came by his own will. When Luigi invited her to his small house in Evershade Valley to lay low for a bit, she was shocked at the contrast of the brothers. Every good deed of Mario's was credited with fancy parades, but Luigi didn't get a mention. He just went home. It seemed like he had done it for a long time, because when Daisy wanted to go and tell people, Luigi said no. He was easily the more selfless out of the brothers in Daisy's eyes. She knew that once Peach was rescued, he would come to visit. That's what he did every time since they met. Now she just waited for the knock on the door.

Luigi had made it to the house after a while and knocked on the door. Daisy immediately opened it. He knew she was waiting and she could tell that he knew.

"Hi!" The two greeted each other. Luigi was let inside and he saw that food and refreshments were already prepared.

"So just another quiet night, eh?" she asked him.

"Yeah. It isn't like there's a massive parade I should be at." Luigi chuckled heartily, but Daisy knew it was painful to be in the shadow of somebody. She knew it all too well.

"Well what do you want to watch this time?" Daisy tried to end the topic as quickly as possible.

"Actually, I can't stay too long." Luigi's face began looking serious and Daisy hadn't seen that look since they fought their way out of that cave when they had first met.

"Luigi… what happened?"

"Mario and Peach have left Bowser to rot in a cell. They beat up his army and scattered them across the kingdom. There is no way any of them will be able to free him, so I have to go bust him outta there. They went too far this time." Saying that Daisy was shocked was an understatement. She had thought Mario had just been gloating a bit more than usual when he said Bowser wasn't coming back ever again.

"I'm coming with you." Daisy grabbed his arm before he got up.

"No, you can't come. If this works, then I'm going to be in a very awkward position. I cannot endanger anybody else apart from myself. I know that the whole kingdom is going to hate me for setting him free, but they don't know what truly happened."

"What am I supposed to tell Mario when he comes to find you to bring you back home?"

"Tell him that I never turned up. Just hide anything that suggests I was here."

"Ok, but I need to do one last thing." Daisy told him before reaching for her camera.

"Like we've always done, but I don't know if you're coming back another time."

"I will. Whatever it takes, I will see you again. I promise." Luigi stated that with genuity. They took another photo. The two gave this shot their all, because they knew this would be an important point in their lives. That's when Daisy's TV turned on by itself, which only occured when something major had happened in the kingdom. The weird thing was that it had already done it earlier today, when it was announced that Bowser was permanently dealt with. The two were startled by it turning on, only to be greeted by a live video everybody else was holding their breath in. It was at the parade. On the stage was Mario and Peach. He was on one knee with a ring in his hand and facing her. She stood next to him and stared at him in complete awe. Daisy and Luigi were starstruck and silent. The whole kingdom revolved around this one moment, these two people. Nobody made a sound for seconds, but they felt like hours. After a long pause, there was the response. Mario held his lungs back the tightest he would ever do in his life.


	2. Chapter 2

** Chapter 2 - Thank You**

You could hear screams and cheers from everywhere in the kingdom. Luigi and Daisy were the only ones who were silent.

"An invitation will come any minute, so I have to leave. Thank you for everything." Luigi told her before giving her one last hug. Neither could process what had just happened, but this meant that things were going to change around the kingdom. Daisy watched him leave, and told him goodbye and good luck. Once he had left, she had began to tidy up, like he said. She just wondered if she should have told him before he left…

After a long trek, Luigi made it to Bowser's Castle, but his mind was cast on one thing as he was going there. Did he push some of the closest people to him away? Did Mario feel different about his brother and was marrying Peach to show that he was done with Luigi? He contemplated everything until a cell was visible holding a battered Koopa King.

"L-Luigi?" Bowser's voice was trembling and he was shivering. Luigi saw something in Bowser that not even Peach had seen before. Fear and relief. Luigi had brought a crowbar with him from his mansion and had began prying against the bars. He strained with all his strength but he couldn't get them to open. "Lemme try." Bowser tried taking the crowbar and Luigi slipped it through the bars. Bowser used some of the strength he had left, but it was no use. Luigi was getting really concerned now. "Thank you for trying Luigi, but I think my time is up."

"No. Not yet. Pass me the crowbar."Bowser handed it over and Luigi lodged the end onto a bar. "Grab the end and we'll both push." That's when Bowser put both of his hands onto the end and the two pushed with everything they had left in them. The bar began to move and when they realised that, they pushed their hardest until a gap big enough for anybody to get through was made.

"L-Luigi," Bowser was still trying to catch his breath, "Thank you from the bottom of my heart. You did what they don't want to do." Luigi gave a faint grin before he dropped onto the ground. Bowser slowly pulled himself up. "H-hey, wake up!" He shut himself up after when heard something. Somebody was entering the castle. Bowser had no idea if it was friend or foe. He knew that the clinic was across the balcony of the entrance. He picked up and Luigi and took careful steps to get to the clinic, but tried to get a look at who got inside. With just a candle, he couldn't see too well and it was a while until he got Luigi to a bed. That was when the lights turned on. Whoever had come in knew how to restart the power. Bowser hooked Luigi up to a machine before tucking his body under a duvet. He hoped Luigi would wake up soon, because if a foe had come here to check on Bowser, the Koopa King was truly dead this time.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 - We Played This Wrong**

Back at the castle, Mario was just about to leave Princess Peach's Castle, but then Peach grabbed his arm.

"Mario, I need to speak to you about a couple of things. One is that why don't you stay here tonight after picking up Luigi?"  
"Yeah, sure! The other thing?"

"I feel like we shouldn't have left Bowser to rot. He seemed petrified."

"Me too. I have half a mind to go back and free him."

"Maybe after you get things sorted with your brother. Considering that he didn't tell us that he was leaving for Daisy's, who knows what happened to him?"

"Yeah, I'm going to hurry. We played this wrong. He shouldn't have to feel so alone." Mario dashed off into the night, once again, to bring Luigi back to their house from Daisy's. He really wanted to make things up to his little brother.

Daisy had been watching her TV screen for any more news on the wedding, but had heard nothing on it. Her mind was focused on Luigi. Had she made one of the biggest mistakes of her life by letting him go? The next thing she knew was that somebody was knocking on her door. When she opened it, Mario stood there looking a bit tuckered out. Had he ran all the way here?

"H-hi, Daisy. Look, I know neither you or Luigi exactly want to see me right now but I need to talk to him." Mario's voice was a bit shaky, meaning he was really tired from today's events.

"Actually… he isn't here. He never came." Daisy faked her confusion and sadness.

"What?! No no no no no, Weegee, where did you go?"

"Maybe he went to save Bowser? He did try to stand up for him."

"Yeah, that's what I came for. To pick him up to break Bowser out of that place. Although who knows if Bowser will thank us. What if he just kil-" Mario's stern look suddenly had a realisation that made him fear, even shiver. He didn't even wish Daisy a goodbye. He just sprinted as fast as his legs could carry him. He needed to find his brother. Now.

Bowser was limping down the stairs to the ground floor. He was about to look at who had entered the castle until he felt a tap behind him. He turned around, ready to fight, but realised it was just Luigi. Somehow, he had woken up.

"What are you doing?!" he whispered.

"Helping you. Also I think that'll be something that I'll be doing for a while. I can't go back to the Mushroom Kingdom, they'll slaughter me."

"Well we'll get onto what I want you to do later. First let's check who's here." The two slowly walked into the ground floor of the entrance and peeked. They noticed Kamek. Before they saw each other, Bowser pushed Luigi into the stairwell and signalled him to stay there.

"Lord Bowser! You're alive, oh thank the stars!" Kamek exclaimed, "But you need medical attention sire." That was when Luigi peeked and Kamek saw him. "Behind you!"

"It's fine, he's with us now." Bowser calmly stated. That gave Luigi a shocked look.

"I'm not sure that saving your life once means I'm on your side."

"If you're going to say that Princess Daisy, somebody who seems to care about you more than your brother does, then why is Mario headed right this way?" Kamek questioned him. Luigi's heart sunk. Even she had given up on him. He soon pulled out a black fabric.

"Excuse me. I'm going to prepare for his arrival." With that, Luigi went back to the clinic.

The doors getting banged on again was audible from anywhere in the castle. Although they weren't knocked on. Mario forced the doors opened to find Kamek and Bowser hanging around.

"Get out." Bowser's voice was shaky.

"I just wanna talk." Mario tried to be calm.

"Do you really think any of us want to see you after the stunt you pulled?" Kamek sneered, "This isn't even about seeing the princess anymore."

"Where's Luigi?" Mario was getting his temper raised.

"The last time we saw him, he said that the Mushroom Kingdom resented him. But why would we give refuge to one of our enemies? You really should have known it would come to this. In fact, maybe after this is over, we'll go pay your home a visit. We could kill any amount of civilians and it would be payback enough. Or maybe we'll corner your precious princess and the green one's too. Make the people watch as the two of them feel every ounce of pain they gave us. The last part of the pain will be making you watch every bit of it, right to the ceased heartbeat and when we're done, your brother's corpse will be shredded to the dust that you moulded him into." That was when Mario lost it and began an attack out of rage. Kamek would have had his head fried by a fiery punch if it wasn't for somebody giving Mario a kick in the head.

**A.N: So this is actually my first time publishing Fanfiction and I think it has gone alright so far. Thank you all so much for reading, following and/or favouriting.**

**Compliments are welcome, so is constructive criticism!**

**Upload schedules will be weird, I'm not going to be able to keep a daily update cycle up, but I will try to update when I can. **

**For now, Mario has taken a hard hit to the head. Who did it and why? Find out in Chapter 4!**

**I am Boid Man, and this was Chapter 3 of Landing on a 1-Up.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 - Numb**

Mario went flying, rolling across the ground and into a wall. He slowly got up wondering what just hit him. As he was getting back up, he was pinned back down and punched over and over again. Whoever was beating him had clearly waited long enough. Mario felt numb. These were punches that couldn't have been Bowser; they were stronger than his in a way. Bowser and Kamek could only watch in disbelief as they didn't imagine this person going on a rampage against his own brother. How were things this bad?

"This is for leaving Daisy!" Mario heard the voice and couldn't believe who wasn't even letting him fight back. Even when he was minimally conscious, he knew his brother's voice. A million thoughts rushed through Mario's head, each coming with their own pain. "And THIS is for the pain you caused me for decades." Luigi's voice was cold. He hurled Mario through a brick wall before knocking him out. Bowser and Kamek were frozen on the spot, still unable to believe what they were seeing. "I'm gonna go deliver a package to Peach's Castle tonight. Leave the door open, because I'll be back after. When I am, we rest. Then we get to work." Luigi ordered the two of them before he set off, carrying Mario's lifeless corpse in his arms.

**A.N: Yeah, I knew this was really short, so I posted two chapters in a few minutes! Chapter 5 is at the click of a button!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 - Losing a life**

Nobody could notice him in the Mushroom Kingdom. He was the shadow that he had always been. Not even saving Mario could drag him into the light. Peach's Castle was still lit up with lights shining. Clearly Peach was on the balcony, watching and waiting for Mario to come back. She could make out his body being carried to her front doors, by who seemed like… Luigi? He looked different, trading his bright blue for an omnidimensional black. He was also wearing a mask, not showing much of his face at all. She rushed down to the front entrance and went for Mario.

He looked in the worst state she had ever seen in before. Not even Bowser had beaten him up this badly.

"Luigi?" Peach's voice was shaky.

"...what?" Luigi replied with no hint of concern. He saw Daisy appear from behind the doors, looking horrified and tending to Mario.

"Who did this?" Peach asked.

"Me. And that is the least of your concerns, Princess." Luigi practically spat the words.

"You're not serious, Weeg… are you. You didn't do this. You're the softer bro. The mask is just for play isn't it? Mario isn't really this hurt, is he?" On the outside, the mask showed no emotion. On the inside, Luigi shed a tear, knowing that he'd lost this life and what he once had. He lost Daisy, he lost his brother, and he lost his home. His journey to serving Bowser was complete. He didn't kill Mario, but knew that he had the ability to do so.

"...you know you could have killed him." Peach said after an awkward silence. That's when Luigi snapped.

"Because everything is about him, isn't it! Daisy was the only one who asked me if I was alright after every adventure. Nobody else even thought to take a look. Remember the time that I went missing for a few days? I fainted on the way back home. I was too battered. I called for somebody to help and nobody came. God, was I pissed. You can deal with him yourself! And Daisy… I'm so sorry things couldn't turn out better." That was the last thing Luigi told before departing into the darkness and back to Bowser's Castle.

It was morning by the time he had gotten back. Bowser and Kamek had just woken up and were having breakfast. Luigi made it in not long after.

"Where were you?" Kamek asked, suspiciously.

"Saying goodbye to my previous life. Now let's get to work."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6 - Recovery**

"We've gotta find your army, treat them, and get them back into shape. We also need to manufacture a lot of explosives, so set your bomb factories to do double the work. Maybe make another one while you're at it. The Mushroom Kingdom is going up in flames." the orders continued to gush from Luigi's mouth until he couldn't think of any more. Although nothing was stopping him from achieving his burning vengeance.

The room was filled with nothing but the sound of a beep, over and over while all who sat there just stared. Bowser had never come close to hurting Mario this bad. To think that Luigi was capable of this and that he is on the loose with an unstable mindset makes it all the more dangerous outside. That's when Peach noticed a twitch from Mario. The uncomfortable groans and sounds from somebody begging for mercy were coming out of Mario's mouth, but little did they know what he could see in his mind. He finally woke up with a fright, only to be laid back down by Peach and Daisy. Mario looked around and saw nothing but friendly faces, but not the one that he wanted to see.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Peach asked.

"It was Luigi. He didn't stop, it didn't seem like he wanted to. He stated things that clearly fueled him up to this extent of rage. No windows for me to counterattack, I couldn't as much as touch him. It was just hit after hit after hit." Mario let the information sink in. Luigi did it for a reason, or multiple and it was more than just a simple argument, and his actions seemed to reflect more than just recent events.

"Well Bowser seems to be making a recovery just like you, Master Mario. Although not only for himself, but bits and pieces of his army are stumbling back to his castle as we speak. According to a Toad we sent out for reconnaissance, they seem to be getting medical aid and going into some other part of Bowser's Castle to get ready for something. If it is what I fear, then we could be coming to the end of us all, both our side and his." Toadsworth went into further realisation.

"We can't prepare for war if we don't know if it is coming." Daisy stated.

"Then we find out what is happening. Get Toad to infiltrate Bowser's Castle, because we need to know what is happening there. I'm questioning our futures very much right now, and it doesn't seem to go well from what I've heard." Mario pondered. The Toad received the orders and made it in. There was a lift leading somewhere, so that would be a good place to start.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7 - Dawn of the Endgame**

It wasn't much trouble to make it to the main room, and that's when Toad saw the thousands of troops lining up and listening to someone. Was that who he had heard used to be Luigi?

"Soon our artillery will be ready to strike the Mushroom Kingdom. We are hitting them with full force, no hesitation, no mercy. It's only fair that we play by their rules. Mario thinks more about his love life than his own brother. Look how that worked out for him. There are some legitimately good people in the Mushroom Kingdom and I respect them but it pains me that they will be part of something that they didn't start. Nonetheless, that will not stop us from achieving our goal, which is to right the wrongs that they have done to us. Have we ever wanted to murder them? No. Did we ever leave them to rot when they couldn't handle a situation by themselves? No. Well now it is war. One that they can't turn us away from. I know that they are listening right now thanks to a spy hiding out, so I shall say to the Princess that I have given her a chance to prepare. Take it or leave it. We will be getting into position in due time. The spy can now take their leave as the communication jammer shall now be under effect, making this area secure." Just like that, the light on the transmitter went off and Toad could get no more words to the Princess. The best he could do was get back home. That is what he did.

"So we have no choice…" Peach was realising that a war was going to take place no matter what they tried.

"You guys really blew it, didn't you? You just had to let your own lives get in the way of the lives of everybody you're supposed to be looking after! Now we've lost one of our greatest allies to the other side and he's giving them all sorts of extra tricks. We have to fight an enraged Bowser seeking nothing but revenge and poor Luigi who thinks that his side is the better one." Daisy wasn't happy in the slightest.

"This is going to be one of the biggest regrets of my life," Peach stated, "But I suppose whatever happens, consequences will be given no matter what. We shall be prepared. Let's get everybody ready for this, because this fight isn't going to be pretty. No side has a right to win now. It's just pure survival." Peach made a speech before her and Daisy set out to get ready. Mario went home to prepare and knew that he had to be ready for the person he had to face. His own brother.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8 - I'm so sorry…**

Mario opened the front door to his house and took a deep breath. He got some power-ups and other miscellaneous things. His sight landed upon a picture of him and Luigi. Smiling towards the camera, arms over each others backs. That was a really good day. Their relationship couldn't have been any better. Now look where they were. They were distant, about to fight and both were probably going to be injured. Mario carried the picture over to the couch, sat down and stared at it. He couldn't do anything else but weep. He was about to fight his little brother. The one person he wanted to protect more than anybody else in the world was somebody that he would be engaging in combat with.

"There isn't somebody I would want to hurt less than my little bro. Now I have to. To try and save him from my mistakes. I might be the one who goes out and saves the princess, but who's the guy behind my back all the time? Luigi. I can get captured by King Boo myself along with others and he's still there willing to rescue us. I couldn't be more grateful to have Luigi as a brother. So whatever happens outside, I'm so sorry bro. I don't want to do this, but it's a mess that I have to clean up. I shouldn't have done what I did and now I'm paying for it in the worst way possible. I can take the hits I'm about to get, but you don't deserve any of them. Yet you're still going to be the one on the front lines that I've got to keep away from the others. You hear me bro? I have to fix my mistake; I'm just so sorry that you got caught in the middle of it."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9 - No Going Back**

Everybody was lining up. One hill was filled with allies of Peach's army, citizens of the kingdom lining up, with Mario and Peach at the front centre. On the other hill was the Koopa Army, who all looked like they just wanted to charge now. Bowser and Luigi were mirroring Mario and Peach's positions.

"This war marks something significant! The end of a rule of those unfit to be on the throne. Those who are unstable to be making decisions for the whole kingdom will end up paying the price for their lack of experience. This is the fight of our lives. Those who don't live only have their rulers to blame." Bowser stated, feeling the stakes of this more than anybody. He wanted nothing more than revenge. Luigi felt like he was in the wrong but couldn't feel like he was wrong when standing alongside Bowser. The Mushroom Kingdom had no response, so they began to tred towards them.

"No going back…" Mario whispered to Peach as they hesitantly walked towards them. Both teams slowly sped up. Both sides sprinting now.

3…

2…

1…

That's when the hordes collided, taking no chances. It was just a bloodbath. Mario dodged as much as he could, trying to find Luigi. There he was fighting his way through Toads until his eyes locked onto Mario's.

"Luigi, we need to talk, if you could just let that happen. I'm ready to talk." Mario tried to reason.

"You're way beyond reason. You don't leave somebody for dead you know."

"Yes, I realise that and I'm sorry!"

"IT DOESN'T MATTER! See all of this? Blood, war, it's all happening because of what you and Peach did. Nobody cares how sorry you are, it doesn't matter or make a difference because that action led to this. So it comes down to who wins. I challenge you Hero of the Mushroom Kingdom. I know you as always rewarded and undefeated. This is your reward now." Luigi stated. He didn't draw any weapons, he just had his fists clenched and he jumped up. Mario was ready to counterattack and realised that it was the only thing that he could do.

"I'm so sorry bro." And then Luigi was knocked back. The war raged around them although neither could hear the screams and the cries of anybody else. They just blocked each other's fists. Again, and again and again. Luigi never thought he would ever be fighting his brother like this, but could only see his judgement as wrong. Mario could only feel guilt. He was now taking part in a fight that he never wanted to become a reality. And it was all because of him.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10 - Battle of the Bros. **

The war was filled with determination. Nobody was willing to let up. Even when one person died, they died with honour. Peach and Bowser were getting involved occasionally, but their main goal was to keep their soldiers strategised. Both of their eyes eventually fell on Mario and Luigi. Surprisingly, neither of them were holding back. Any time one landed a hit on the other, it sent one of them back a few steps. That was until they used everything they had used together. From physical moves like jumping and spinning to using items like fire flowers or red shells. Every hit was tiring the other out.

"Luigi… huff… we can't go on forever…" Mario's words were beginning to slur.

"No, we can't. But I can go on long enough. I always have been." Luigi wasn't sounding as tired as Mario.

"This isn't what we should be doing right now! We should be fighting Bowser together, or having fun! Not brutally beating each other up." Mario was using his energy for talking now. He needed his brother back, the kind-hearted, energetic person. His inspiration, his only family, the one person that pushes him forward.

"Luigi… please, just stop. We all need you, we all care for you." a new voice came in.

"You think you're going to make me stop? Daisy, I'm not going to go back to people that I can't trust."

"HOW ARE YOU GOING TO TRUST BOWSER OVER EVERYBODY THAT'S PUSHED YOU FORWARD?" Daisy was screaming just to get into his head, sending chills through both the bros.

"IF YOU MEAN THEY PUSHED ME FORWARD TO FIGHT FOR HIM, THEN WHY ARE YOU CONFUSED?" Luigi returned the shouting. He was beginning to lose his patience now. Daisy and Mario were both taken aback and saw that their words weren't working.

"Don't make me do this, Luigi, please…" Daisy was getting ready to fight him instead.

"You're fighting on the wrong side," Luigi replied coldly, "But have it your way. I have nothing more to lose. Just the gain of satisfaction" Then the clash became a two on one with Daisy and Mario both taking hits at Luigi. What the three of them didn't notice was Bowser Jr. Sneaking his way around the rabble and having a clear shot at grabbing Princess Peach. He took out a device that made Peach confused as she lost connection to her soldiers. She then gets dunked head first into the Koopa Clown Car, her screams for help suppressed by a blanket being laid on her as Bowser Jr. towered above her with his fist in the air.

"Time for you to answer to Papa." was the last thing that the princess heard before being consumed by darkness and the tense sound of silence.

**A.N: I know this chapter was short but I've had little time lately, however I should be getting time to write something a bit longer than this. **

**For now, I'm Boid Man and that was chapter 10 of Landing on a 1-Up!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11 - Hit Too Hard**

Two armies were relying on their commanders to have a strategized attack. Two brothers were fighting, one with the thought of revenge and the other with regret and trying to win his best friend back. A woman had to fight him as well, having to put her feelings for him aside and get him back. Because this wasn't Luigi. Whatever soul making his body move wasn't his. But at the same time it was. What would it take to get him to come home? The three were slowly backing out of the hordes and into a dense forest, not noticing that an unconscious Peach was being brought before Bowser. No cries for help from her, no laughs in victory from him. Just a helpless corpse in front of somebody who wants the heart of the corpse to pump no more blood.

"Oh how gullible you both are." Luigi told Mario and Daisy as all three were catching their breath. That was when the duo were confused.

"What do you mean?" Mario was concerned.

"Good thing that I pulled you both into the middle of the woods. Remind me, **who's there for Peach?**" Luigi deliberately let the words slow down to rub salt in the wound. Peach had no other protection. He disappeared like a ninja, leaving Mario and Daisy running back the way they came. When they saw an exit, the war wasn't there. Desperately trying to get back to the war proved useless as they ended up being lost.

"It's all my fault…" Mario wallowed, admitting defeat. He started all of this and now people that he cared about were paying the price.

"So this is how it ends…" Daisy couldn't believe the outcome of events that happened in mere days. That was when the two of them heard something and were following the echoes of a blood-curdling scream through the thickness of the woods. All that they had heard was a scream. They couldn't see that Peach had regained consciousness and was staring right up at a blade, with the face of an enraged Koopa King following once she rolled out of the way of it.

By the time Mario and Daisy get back, they see Peach being cornered by Bowser and Luigi and neither were going to allow it. Both of them jump towards Bowser and tug him away. Luigi then kicks Bowser, forcing Mario and Daisy to have to get out of the way of the spikes on his shell. When he turned around, Peach was long gone and so were Mario and Daisy.

"This doesn't mean that we have lost. It is time for us to get prepared for the final act. Then they will know our devotion and our pain." Luigi talked Bowser out of his rage and the two gave the order to their troops to get ready. The Endgame was arriving.

**A.N: Been a while but I wrote this chapter and would say that the end is in sight. Unless I have more ideas for this story. I know I have ideas for completely new stories, but am going to finish this story first. **

**For now, I'm Boid Man and that was Chapter 11 of Landing on a 1-Up!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12 - Check**

"That was way too close," Daisy was panting while Mario and Peach caught their breath as well.

"Yeah, this is a unique build up for a wedding," Mario joked with Peach returning the laughter.

"Save the jokes for later. What in blazes is THAT?" Daisy questioned as she pointed to a piece of machinery that was massive. It was a dull chrome colour, with a drill aiming towards the ground.

"You really thought you would win? Yes, you'll be able to rule the land for the last of its minutes. Once this drill reaches the core of the planet, you can say bye bye to everybody. So make you're goodbyes quick. I'm leaving." Bowser announced from an airship, as it began to take off. The Toads, Daisy, Peach and Mario could only look in horror as the drill dug down into the ground as the airship began to lift off. Then a grinding squeak brought the airship to a standstill in the air, not allowing it to move anywhere. The next thing everybody heard was a sign that Bowser was going with them.

"That's what you think, traitor!"

A figure, with a rugged blue and green fabric leaking through the torn black fabric came somersaulting off of the ship as it exploded. He knew that all eyes were on him, from the new friends that he had made, to the ones that he had thought he had lost. He gives on quick salute to both sides before plunging down the depth of the hole that had been made.

"LUIGI!" Daisy, Mario and Peach screamed at once as they saw him disappear, sprinting towards the void he had left. Something was on the ground when they appeared. Paper. With Luigi's handwriting.

'This isn't checkmate yet.' What was he planning? Two armies, both seeming like one united kingdom could only endure an agonising wait under a blood red sky, as the fate of their world relied on one person. Worried chatter spread around everywhere as the world waited. There was nothing that they could do. Luigi was still putting the world before himself, yet he wasn't treated the best in it. He was still going to try, but would he succeed.

The plunge from the airship was enough to catch up with the drill.

"Hope I made it in time. And I make it out, alive." Luigi was talking to himself while he began opening panels and ripping out wires. The machine just wouldn't stop.

"Come on!" he screamed, easily getting frustrated, until he remembered something. He had it in his pocket, just in case something went wrong. He might not make it out alive, but at least the world would. Hopefully. He probably wouldn't be there to find out. He shoved the bomb through the ripped wires and jumped up. The hole was too large to ascend with a wall jump but he tried anyway. He got a little distance between him and the drill and detonated the bomb. He felt nothing at first. Then a surge of heat consumed him as his consciousness was gone in an instant.

**A.N: It ain't over yet. **


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13 - United, We Stand**

The hole became a volcano, metal parts erupting from it. A limp body flopped from out of it, gaining Mario's attention immediately. His brother stopped the drill, but at what cost? He just ran and slid on his knees making his way to Luigi.

"Come on Bro, stay with me. Please." Mario was on the verge of tears.

"Well well, what a surprise. The superstar cares for the disappointment. How intriguing."

The deep growl of the Koopa King made its way into all the alive ears. How was he still alive? "I'm not Bowser, oh no. He's still being tortured as much as before. Although I really thought that our army could grow with all the souls that would be harvested. Clearly not. At least we might harvest a strong soul. Luigi always worked hard." Mario began to panic, whispering to his brother to wake up. The Koopa Army began to slowly trudge back towards the Mushroom Army, not with revenge in mind, but pure fear. "Who do you think set up this war in the first place. Oh the anticipation is going to be so short lived," the voice came out of the growl and turned into a manical cackle, "Are you all gullible fools or am I too smart for you? I can't tell the difference. But my revenge is complete. You should have died a long time ago, all of you. Luigi makes me lose on my home turf and then Bowser doesn't even come to save me? I guess I'll do it myself." Mario realised who had orchestrated this confusing plot and he was shuddering immensely. Peach and Daisy kept asking what was wrong, but he couldn't answer. He didn't want to experience his trauma all over again, but now he had to. How had King Boo escaped and gotten this much power?

A horde of spectral soldiers materialised in front of everybody. "Being able to create illusions is a talent of mine and now it will be the end of your world." The environment was devoured by a paranormal dimension as another army got ready to steal the souls in a way that would mean victims would feel themselves dying. Luigi's body had disappeared and if the real Bowser was alive, nobody knew where he was. All that could happen was the true war. With the Mushroom and Koopa army uniting against the leader of the corrupted souls of the dead, matters were now unpredictable. The living began to get vaporised with the dead suffering nothing. "Nothing's working!" Mario shouted to Peach.

"I don't see a way out either…" Peach responded.

"That should be reason enough for you to give up!" King Boo snarled as he took a swipe at Mario, who barely dodged a phantom blade.

"Make us!" Daisy screamed back. King Boo's response was a mere smile. The jewel on his crown glowed and made all of the spectral soldiers fade away. Then rings began to form around everybody, grasping them before anybody could react.

"This should suffice. You don't get a slight negotiation in this part of the process either. I'm dying of laughter!" King Boo cackled as he was surrounded by the screams of a kingdom at his mercy. Now to wonder what he could do next to make them suffer. Death can either be tediously slow or as quick as a flash. "I'll let you choose now though. Would you rather die quickly or slowly. The majority will seal all your pitiful fates. NOW CHOOSE!" he bellowed as he took the poll from peoples' souls. If there was any hope that the Mushroom Kingdom could survive, it certainly didn't feel like it was there.

**Hopefully that surprise was a good thing. Either way, we are getting down to the last chapters. Maybe two or three more, I would say. **

**For now, I'm Boid Man and that was Chapter 13 of Landing on a 1-Up!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14 - Dead, Not Alive**

Pain. That's all he felt when he woke up. All that he could hear around him were the agonising screams in a distorted world. He had to get up. Luigi was numb, but knew that he had to face King Boo again, with or without a Poltergust. He began to stumble towards him, before collapsing back to the ground. His body wasn't ready.

Everything was a haze. Why did the world look so different? All he could hear were people screaming. He had just seen Luigi rise and drop again, but when he looked up, he saw King Boo. The traitor. Once upon a time, he would be working for Bowser, but once he went after the Mario bros. by himself and used Bowser as the bait, they ended their partnership. He looked over to Luigi and tried to sneak around King Boo, but that was when the screaming stopped and corpses were dropped, on their knees and panting heavily. He needed to get to him.

"You have failed. All of you. You cannot beat us, we are the dead. Once we kill you, you will be with us. What could you possibly hope to do?" King Boo's growls dispersed across the dome-like arena. He then turned to face Luigi, not even caring that Bowser was next to him. All eyes were on Luigi as he struggled to stand up. Mario wanted to scream as loud as he could, but didn't have the energy.

"I still can't believe you beat me all of that time ago." King Boo talked to Luigi, "It doesn't matter now though. This will rectify that. Because what's the point if you beat me and I come back, compared to if I beat you and you never pester anyone again? This should be painful enough to satisfy your death." That was when the jewel on his crown started glowing and Luigi's body was lifted high into the sky. Using all of the energy he had, King Boo fired a massive beam of his energy towards Luigi's body. He ignored the cries from Daisy, the shellshocked Koopa King and Mushroom Princess, the screams from Mario and just kept hitting Luigi, cackling in the process. He knew that the body had no life left in it by the time he was finished. He just let it go, and watched the corpse drop, because it was dead, not alive.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15 - Landing on a 1-Up**

The rolling of a green mushroom. The throwing of a shining star. It all went to one thing. Saving the best out of all of them. Making sure that he didn't die for something that wasn't his fault. At first his body just lay there. Nobody was sure whether he was alive. Then he twitched. The twitching became shaking and the shaking became a sonic blast. It shattered the illusion and King Boo's crown. Luigi was back.

"H-how? I KILLED YOU! I WATCHED YOU DROP!" King Boo was raging, despite feeling pain, somehow.

"Because my friends and family are here. They care. And because of them, I landed on a 1-Up." Luigi replied before making a dash at the boo. The light had consumed him and all that remained were the remnants of his golden crown. It was finally over.

The star wore off. The Mushroom and Koopa armies began to find their bearings.

"Luigi, I-" Mario was about to say something until he was embraced in a tight hug, feeling a damp spot forming on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Luigi's shaking voice was muffled but still clearly heard by his older brother.

"We're back now. That's all I care about," Mario was crying into his brother's shoulder as well. They were back together. That was all he wanted.

Everybody had healed a few days later. Bowser and Peach had some kind of peace after the recent events. Luigi was taking a walk around, inhaling the fresh air. Daisy then approached him, as energetic as usual.

"Hi, uh, how's things?" Luigi fumbled with his words.

"Yeah, they're good. You?" Daisy replied.

"Not bad."  
"Ok, well I need to tell you something."

"Ok."  
"So you know when this whole thing started and you had just left my house?"

"Uhhhh, yeah."

"I had this feeling that I needed to tell you something, but you had already gone and I didn't know if I was gonna see you again. So we're here now, so I might as well not delay this further."

"Sure, uh, what is it?"

"Um, do you, I dunno, wanna go, uh, somewhere? Together?" Daisy managed to say and Luigi realised that this was awkward, even for her.

"I guess, sure. Why?"

"I guess I kinda have feelings that were definitely confirmed once you left. Feelings for you."

"Oh, uh, funny. I've kinda wanted to say that for a while now."

"So are we going or not?" Daisy looked ecstatic

"Lead the way!" Luigi replied with enthusiasm. He landed on a 1-Up. His life is allowed to continue because of his friends. And he's going to live it fully.

**FIN**

**That is it! My first fanfiction is now officially complete. Thank you to everybody that has viewed, reviewed and followed the story. My next project will probably be something Avengers related. Once I start that, I will link it in here. **

**For now, I'm Boid Man, and this has been Landing on a 1-Up. THANK YOU!**


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